Meta Knight
"Come back when you can put up a fight." - Meta Knight, Super Smash Bros. series Background Information Meta Knight is a major character in the Kirby series, appearing in most of the games, manga, as well as the anime. The intrigue and popularity surrounding Meta Knight within the Kirby fandom largely lies in his shrouded motives and his striking likeness to Kirby himself. Meta Knight is the leader of an army of soldiers known as the Meta-Knights, and captains a large airship called Battleship Halberd which may accompany him into the heat of battle. Although Meta Knight first appeared in Kirby's Adventure in 1993, his true name was not known in North America until Kirby's Avalanche was released in 1995. Physical Appearance Meta Knight wears his trademark attire, including his silver mask and his blue or dark purple Dimensional Cape with gold trimmings, as well as a pair of patched or metallic shoes. He has retractable bat-like wings and flies with them in the games. The wings' first prominent use is in Kirby Super Star, where Meta Knight chased Kirby near the end of Revenge of Meta Knight. In Kirby Air Ride, he can fly with them whenever he takes part in a race. Meta Knight's weapon of choice is usually the Galaxia sword, which is a spiked golden sword with an embedded ruby in the hilt. One of Meta Knight's most well-known traits is the fact that he is very rarely seen with his mask off. In a few games, his mask is split into two upon defeat, revealing a face similar to Kirby's with bright yellow eyes (However, in older games, Meta Knight sported misty silver eyes and pink cheeks). In the event that he is ever unmasked, he immediately departs the field of battle. His similarity to Kirby has led to speculation that he is a member of Kirby's species. Despite this, Meta Knight's fingers—a bodily feature that other Kirbys lack—have been present since Kirby's Avalanche, but fans have also speculated that Meta Knight could be a grown-up version of Kirby's species, meaning that the species changes appearance during the growth phase. This is further implied in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U where Kirby is given an alternate palette that makes him look like Meta Knight. Furthermore, at Palutena's Temple, Pit and Viridi can converse about Meta Knight; they discuss his resemblance to Kirby and question if he also can inhale and copy abilities. However, what Meta Knight's relation to the Kirby species is has never been officially revealed. Meta Knight was originally depicted black, wearing a usually-crimson cape and without any armor besides his mask (with yellow glowing eyes in artwork). In Kirby's Avalanche, he had pauldrons, violet shoes, and a brighter skin tone. His design was revised again in Kirby Super Star. In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, he was made bigger than Kirby and given a yellow strap to hold his mask in place. Since Kirby Air Ride, official artwork shows his sword reflecting Galaxia's design in the anime. Since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Meta Knight was again re-sized to Kirby's height and (with the exception of Kirby Super Star Ultra) the yellow strap was often removed. His pauldrons always have a yellow lining and often gray in color, but are sometimes dark blue. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Kirby's Return to Dream Land, his left pauldron bears a version of his insignia, which is an "M" in front of an upward-pointing sword. Meta Knight's cape is blue in all instances except Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where it is purple. Also in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, his cape has a bat insignia on it. The blushes on his face are almost always clearly pink, though they were toned very light in Kirby Super Star. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Meta Knight has black shoes with violet sabatons over them instead of plain violet shoes, giving him a much more complex and well-armored appearance. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, he wears silver mitten gauntlets over his gloves, a detail seen in official artwork of Meta Knight in Kirby: Squeak Squad and Kirby Super Star Ultra, and would become a part of his official design in later appearances. His armor also has a number of small but noticeable cuts, nicks and other signs of battle-scarring compared to his appearances in the main series. Meta Knight's mask sometimes gives a yellowish tint to the wearer's eyes. Meta Knight's white eyes turn yellow, and Kirby's blue eyes become green (only seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl). His eyes also change color with his emotions in the anime. When they are blue, he feels happy or content; pink, he is amused, or something grabbed his attention; green, he is in deep thought, focused on something, or solving a problem. When they turn dark red, he is angry, or possibly disturbed or suspicious. If they ever flash a mix of colors, he feels all the emotions that he is flashing. Personality Due to Meta Knight's way of doing things and his often-hidden intentions, the relationship between Kirby and Meta Knight is unpredictable in nature, and range from being bitter rivals to being steadfast allies to one another and can change at a moment's notice. Meta Knight is a playable character in many spin-offs, and is presented in many of the newer games as a "friend or foe" character. As a knight, he respects a code of chivalry, and always offers Kirby a sword whenever he fights against him. However, if the player waits long enough without collecting the sword, it will disappear (in Kirby Star Allies, Meta Knight instead loses patience and kicks out the sword away himself), and the battle will proceed. In Meta Knightmare Ultra, he is shown trying to become the greatest warrior in the galaxy, suggesting he prides himself in his strength and skill, yet wishes to continue to grow stronger. The Revenge of Meta Knight sub-game reveals that Meta Knight abhors laziness, to the point where he was willing to start a war and take over Dream Land just to end what he perceived as a "lazy lifestyle." However, he seems to have accepted such a lifestyle, as seen in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, where he is shown relaxing and enjoying the peace. Interestingly, he never seems to want his face revealed, immediately retreating via his Dimensional Cape when his mask is broken and falls off. The reason for this is never explained. In the anime, his personality is much different than in the games. He is calm, collected, and is much more clearly on Kirby's side here, because they are both Star Warriors, and Meta Knight needs to help him for the greater good. He is shown to passively observe events, and only interfere when needed. However, his training methods are often harsh and dangerous, often putting Kirby's life in danger, but they always manage to make Kirby stronger. Unlike in the games, he does not seem to hold any opinion towards the laziness of others, and is much less mysterious, as his motives in the anime are rarely ever hidden. In both the games and in Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, he is often seen standing on high areas, platforms, tree branches, and statues. This may be a strategical move to prevent being attacked before the battle or to get a better view, but the reason is never officially explained. Weaponry Dimensional Cape Meta Knight's Dimensional Cape (as named in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) allows him to manipulate space, and is a powerful weapon in its own right. His signature cape never received its official name, until relatively recently, much like Galaxia. Meta Knight most commonly wraps it around himself to teleport away. This tends to happen whenever his mask is destroyed and face is revealed, or when he knows he has been defeated. The cape allows him to warp and teleport short distances, and it can be used to surprise an opponent, catching them off guard by teleporting and attacking from behind. In more recent games, he is seen turning his back to the screen before using it. Meta Knight usually takes it off when fighting Kirby. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Meta Knight can also use it to ebb out of reality for a short time. In his Final Smash attack, the cape is used to petrify his enemies and cover the surrounding area in complete darkness, leaving them open to attacks from his sword. Super Smash Bros. Brawl and his trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee suggested that the pair of bat-like wings which grant him flight and gliding capabilities are really an extension of the cape. This is also demonstrated in Kirby's Epic Yarn, where the cape is seen fluidly transforming into the wings in Meta Knight's yarn form. This is not consistently the case, however. In older games and in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, he is seen throwing his cape aside, revealing that his wings are underneath the cape. However, in Kirby Super Star and its remake, Meta Knight throws off his cape, but he uses the cape again after he is defeated. This hints that Meta Knight's cape may be magic in nature, and able to be summoned at any time to escape from tough situations. Galaxia The sword Galaxia is a golden blade with a ruby embedded in its hilt, with anywhere between zero to six spikes protruding from its sharp edges. In earlier games, the spikes were absent from Meta Knight's then-unnamed sword. In the games, Galaxia is capable of shooting out sword beams and standard sword moves. In Meta Knightmare Ultra, it absorbs the energy of a defeated foe, allowing Meta Knight to use special actions like the Mach Tornado, Meta Quick and Heal. Galaxia is used by Kirby when he uses the Master Copy Ability in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, the sword has sacred origins, having been created by a race of light and a fire god, Photron. Category:Characters